Matthew Christensen

Can major disruptions like a global pandemic be good for business? If your organization has a framework for fueling and sustaining innovation, the answer is yes. Matthew Christensen, co-founder and CEO of Rose Park Advisors, a highly successful alternative asset manager, specializes in helping leaders in every sector build disruptive innovation into their corporate ecosystems so they can systematically identify and act on opportunities regardless of market conditions or competitive threats.

Christensen has built entire businesses on the theory of disruptive innovation developed by his father, the late Clayton Christensen. Using his extensive experience as an investor, he teaches leaders how to adapt their business model to coincide with this theory and deliver impressive results.

When he launched Rose Park Advisors in 2007, Christensen was using the same set of frameworks that visionaries like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos were leveraging.

“Our firm relies on disruptive innovation frameworks to help us understand what is happening in the marketplace,” says Christensen. “When we work with a company, it’s critically important that we help them think within the context of those frameworks because we believe that is the best way to maximize the probability of success, and great returns for all of us.”

The theory of disruptive innovation has defined 21^st century business and continues to profoundly impact organizations, leaders and investment managers across the globe. Through this lens, Christensen is expert at improving the decision-making process, identifying opportunities and assessing whether management can capitalize on, or defend against, a disruptive strategy. He further helps companies develop their own ability to apply the framework whether they are looking to gain a competitive advantage in an established market or trying to create new markets.

“Many of the firms that grow from start-ups to become industry giants are built around innovations that create new markets or reshape existing ones. They enable change,” says Christensen. “Just as established firms systematically underestimate how large entrant competitors will become, tools of financial analysis systematically underestimate their growth potential. Because these entrant firms tend to be misunderstood, the market misjudges their impact, presenting us with an investment opportunity.”

There are many opportunities for investors and businesses. As industries contend with repeated market shocks, new customer demands and regulatory pressures, the success of individual firms will hinge on proactively responding to these changing business conditions. Those that fail to act will lose – clients, business and competitive advantage.

Before he earned a master’s degree at Harvard Business School, Matthew Christensen graduated from Duke University with bachelor’s degrees in economics and in civil engineering, with an emphasis on structural engineering. Prior to starting his own company, Christensen honed his consulting skills at Innosight, a firm that helps companies deal with the challenges of disruptive change. He led engagements in the biotech, enterprise software, grocery and financial services industries and spearheaded Innosight’s small business and workshop initiatives. He sits on the boards of several client companies, including CircleUp, BioLite, EZTable and Coupang, the largest e-commerce company in Korea.

Matthew Christensen is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group^®.